Latest Antonio Guterres News

Middle East latest: Syrians celebrate Assad's fall as US seeks a peaceful political transition

Dec. 13, 2024 19:31 PM EST

Thousands of Syrians gathered in Damascus’ main square and a historic mosque for the first Muslim Friday prayers since former President Bashar Assad was overthrown, a major symbolic moment for the country’s dramatic change of power. The rebels are now working to establish security and start a...

Middle East latest: Israeli strikes in Gaza kill more than 50 people, including kids

Dec. 12, 2024 19:20 PM EST

An Israeli airstrike flattened a multistory building in central Gaza, killing at least 25 people and wounding dozens more, according to Palestinian medical officials, after strikes Thursday across the Gaza Strip killed at least 28 others. The latest deadly strike hit the urban...

Middle East latest: UN General Assembly demands a ceasefire in Gaza

Dec. 12, 2024 01:58 AM EST

The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved resolutions Wednesday demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and expressing support for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, although they reflect world...

UN General Assembly demands ceasefire in Gaza and backs UN agency helping Palestinian refugees

Dec. 11, 2024 20:12 PM EST

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved resolutions Wednesday demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backing the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban. The votes in the 193-nation world body were 158-9, with 13...

Middle East latest: Israeli strikes hit Gaza and also target suspected weapons sites in Syria

Dec. 09, 2024 19:44 PM EST

Israeli strikes killed at least six people in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical officials said Monday, while also hitting suspected chemical and long-range weapons sites in Syria to keep them from rebels who seized Damascus. The U.N. Security Council on Monday held...

Global reaction to Assad's sudden ouster from Syria ranges from jubilation to alarm

Dec. 08, 2024 16:58 PM EST

Across the Middle East and beyond, the fall of Syria’s authoritarian government at the hands of jihadi militants set off waves of jubilation, trepidation and alarm. Expatriate Syrians and many residents across the Middle East exulted at the overthrow of a leader who led his country...

Syria latest: Syrians celebrate in the streets as Russian media says Assad has arrived in Moscow

Dec. 08, 2024 14:30 PM EST

Syrians poured into streets in celebration on Sunday after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule. Russian state news agencies were reporting that President Bashar Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow and were given asylum. Russia said...

Syrian insurgents capture central city of Hama in severe setback to the Syrian president

Dec. 05, 2024 12:34 PM EST

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian insurgents swept into the central city of Hama on Thursday and government forces withdrew, dealing another major blow to Syrian President Bashar Assad days after insurgents captured much of Aleppo, the country’s largest city. The stunning weeklong offensive...

Middle East latest: Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon begins

Nov. 26, 2024 23:52 PM EST

A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants began early Wednesday morning, after Beirut residents endured the most intense day of Israeli strikes since the war began. Many wondered if the agreement to stop fighting would hold. Israel has said it will attack if...

The UN chief and pope call for nations to end the use of antipersonnel land mines

Nov. 25, 2024 04:06 AM EST

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The U.N. head, Pope Francis and others called Monday for nations to end the production and use of land mines, even as their deployment globally grows. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message to delegates at the fifth review of the...